Former Kiwis captain Mark 'Sharko' Graham has taken part in an extra special captain's run ahead of the Kiwis-Tonga league showdown at the Pacific Championship tomorrow.
The league legend travelled from his home in Gladstone in North Queensland to present the Test jerseys to the team today at Auckland’s Mt Smart Stadium.
"Unfortunately I'm not old enough to have seen him play but I've heard a lot of stories. He’s a legend of the game," current Kiwi skipper James Fisher Harris told 1News.
"I’ve been told by many – even nowadays in this game – he'd kill it on the field."
The 69-year-old and his son Luke, a Sydney-based filmmaker, isn't just here to meet the new brass – they're also unveiling their new documentary, Sharko.
The younger Graham decided to tell his father’s story after attending a league reunion with him in the City of Sails.
"Two things I'm very passionate about in this world: Family, my father – and sport. I wanted to make sure I did justice to those stories," Luke Graham said.
Mark Graham said he would have shot the idea down had it not been his son asking, explaining that he was uncomfortable in front of the camera.
"Not something I would dream of doing," he said.
The documentary details the league legend’s childhood in the South Auckland suburb of Ōtāhuhu; his pioneering days in Brisbane and Sydney league, where he helped lay the foundations for modern-day NRL; and the huge influx of New Zealand and Pacific players.
The athletic middle or edge forward was a pioneer of the game in the 1980s as league began taking off on TV. He also led the Kiwi side to famous victories over Australia and Great Britain.
But Mark Graham remained humble as he reflected on his time in the spotlight.
"I was an ordinary bloke who played with good footballers. I never played to be recognised or to be a star – I played with my mates," he said.
Graham stood out in a time when the game was even more brutal. He was often targeted by opponents, leading to numerous injuries and head knocks over his long and illustrious career.
At the height of his career, he also starred in a North Sydney Bears team despite its little taste of success in the game.
Graham's strong performance season after season saw him become the first New Zealander to be inducted into the NRL Hall of Fame.
"We had a great time. We enjoyed ourselves thoroughly," he said. "Players these days can’t do that, the game has become too sanitised and the players are under an intense spotlight.
"I don't think I'd even be a good player in the new systems."
Along with his thrilling career highs, Sharko also touches on a family breakdown and tragedy off the field.
"Something I wouldn't like to hang my hat on, obviously. Good things and bad things happen," Mark Graham said.
"You get your heart broken, you're penniless, you're downtrodden – other times, you're on top of the world. It's called life."
Luke Graham called it "extremely difficult to watch" and "always will be".
"But you don't make movies for yourself – you make them for other people."
The film will make its Auckland premiere on November 7.
SHARE ME